Appropriate Eucharistic Minister Vestments

[Vyonne Carter-Johnson]

Help --

I have a new priest and she wants to know if there is a "correct" vestment for LEM, i.e. alb

(with or without hood) or cassock and surplice.  I said it is her preference and there is not "correct" vestment.

 

I patiently await your responses.

 

P.S.  My preference is for cassock and surplice.

Thank you

Vyonne Carter-Johnson

713 988-5311 - Home

713 857-4450 - Cell

vjp...@swbell.net

 

[Janet McAlister]

My church uses albs for LEMs.  When a choir member is scheduled to LEM, they step up wearing the choir cassock and surplice.  I would say whatever the church has on hand is correct (unless you have an enormous budget to purchase what you don't have!)

Janet McAlister

Verger, St. Stephen's

Huntsville, AL

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[Scott G N Crowell]

Just to give you an idea, at St. Thomas the Apostle Episcopal in Hollywood, CA the attached photo shows our LEM.  From left to right we have the two torches, LEM, Celebrant, and thurifer.

 

Scott Crowell

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[Bill Rhines]

Vyonne....

 

 

To my knowledge, there is not a "correct" vestment.  It is really at the discretion of the rector or priest in charge, or sometimes is a matter of local custom, or what is readily available in that community.  Cost may be a factor - cassocks and surplice or cotta vs. alb or cassock-alb, etc.   I've known some congregations where it was more important that everyone was vested in the same thing, regardless of what that was.  On occasion, we've been known to have the EM's come up in their street clothes. At those times the minister doesn't come up until the Invitation - everyone at the altar during the Eucharistic prayer is vested in similar  vestments, according to their office (priest, deacon, etc.) 

 

Bill Rhnes

St. David's Episcopal

Kennebunk, ME

----- Original Message -----

From: Vyonne Carter-Johnson

To: Vergers List

Cc: Vyonne Carter-Johnson ; Vyonne Johnson

Sent: Friday, December 16, 2011 3:54 PM

Subject: [V-List] Appropriate Eucharistic Minister Vestments

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[Kennedy, Cathy (US - Hermitage)]

At Good Shepherd we do both.  At our contemporary service the LEMs come up at the invitation in their street clothes.  In our traditional service, they are vested, process and sit at the altar in white cassock albs – same as acolytes.

 

Happy Advent,

 

Cathy

 

Cathy H. Kennedy
Verger
Church of the Good Shepherd, Brentwood, Tennessee
http://www.goodshepherdbrentwood.org/
mobile 615 400 1687
church office 615 661 0890

May the words of our mouths and the meditations of our hearts be acceptable in His sight.

[Scott G N Crowell]

I forgot to mention, in the photo, you will notice at first glance everyone matches, but the LEM and Thurifur wear a pleated cassock while the torches do not.

 

Scott Crowell

[Marcia Lauzon]

We have seen a variety of things in our parish. For many years it was
cassock and surplice, as the choir wears. When we had two chalice
servers, the second was not vested, and came up in street clothes at the
offertory. I have two who serve chalice but do not read and they do
this. Our current priest wants LEMs in albs, so that all servers
present the same appearance, so except for those two, that's what they
wear. Luckily, we had some in the closet. If a choir member serves as
LEM on a certain day, they wear an alb but sit in the choir, and join
the altar party after the offertory anthem. "Whatever the priest wants"
is always a good choice.

Marcia Lauzon, Verger
Church of the Incarnation, Great Falls, MT

[Jeff Bell]

Merry Christmas All,
I used to be a LEM but now am an EM. One of the lesser things to come out of
the '03 convention was a change to the canons regarding LEMs.
They told us that we had to get the "L" out of here!! Lay Eucharistic
Minister is redundant.
For years we wore black cassock and white surplice with a black tippet which
had the Episcopal seal sewn at the bottom. But about 3 years ago the rector
had us change to white hooded alb and white cincture. Acolytes wear the same
alb but with a cincture the color of the season.
We have 3 Sunday morning services in the church each one having 4 vested
EMs, and 1 service in the chapel with 1 vested EM. Also we have a
contemporary service at 11:15, 4 unvested EMs and the celebrant wears collar
and stole sans alb. 5:30 PM service has 2 vested EMs.
Blessings of the season to all,
Jeff Bell, verger
Christ Episcopal Church
Ponte Vedra Beach, FL

-----Original Message-----
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Marcia Lauzon
Sent: Friday, December 16, 2011 7:28 PM
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Subject: Re: [V-List] Appropriate Eucharistic Minister Vestments

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[Danny Ray Meadors]

I agreed with you that it is her preference (the Celebrant) how the  Eucharistic Minister is vested. I believe the alb is the correct vestment for Eucharistic Ministers.

My reasoning comes from my experience and my reading. The alb has been consider the principal vestment for the Eucharistic. Cassock was street clothes and my understanding a surplice was put over it is consider the appropriate dress for the office. For background information my church St. Patrick’s was started in 1962, the principal reason was to celebrate the Eucharist on all Sundays and other days of obligation. In those early days when I first join St. Patrick’s the priest would arrived at St. Patrick’s dress in a cassock (street clothes) and enter the vestry to vest with amice, alb, stole and chasuble all over his cassock. When it was approved for a lay person to be licensed to  administer the chalice at the Eucharist, in the Diocese of Mississippi the only persons who could be licensed to be a chalice bearer had to first be a Licensed Diocesan Lay Reader (Worship Leader) and they could only administer the chalice vested in black cassock, white surplice and tippit with the shield of the Licensed Diocesan Lay Reader of the Diocese of Mississippi. The reason being there would be no confusion between ordained priest and chalice bearer.

                Another point is that when Morning Prayer was the principal service of worship of an Episcopal Church it was easier and cheaper just to add a stole over Cassock and Surplice for the Eucharist. In these churches the norm of dress for the Eucharist would have been the Cassock and Surplice  so what would you vest chalice bearers in other than the Cassock and Surplice.

                When we change Prayer Books in 1979 the Eucharist again became the principal service of the Episcopal Church. At this point there was further teaching to regain the principal vestment of the Eucharist which was the Alb. As we have moved forward we moved to the understanding of Eucharistic Ministers who administer both elements the body and the blood at the Eucharist. The way I see it and I have serve with priests who were only Eucharistic Ministers at a service who vested only in alb and  did not wear a stole that serve next to me in the an alb from the congregation you could not distinguish who was ordain.

                Another point I would like to present about  vesting at St. Patrick’s after 1979 we went to two sets of vestments for every acolyte and Licensed Lay Reader ( Worship Leader). Each acolyte and worship leader was assigned an cassock and surplice and an alb. Our acolytes wore cassock and surplice for the offices and alb for the Eucharist. Old we would have fun a mixed things up with the priest, Eucharistic ministers and acolytes all vesting in cassock and surplice for the Eucharist. We used to this to teach about the changes in vesting. Also if we had a visiting celebrant we would vest the way he or she prefer.

                Also at St. Patrick’s I have had several of my acolytes become Licensed Eucharistic Ministers when they  were of age they would serve on rotation as both Eucharistic Minister or Acolyte. It is nice when you have one of these acolytes available when you are short a Eucharistic Minister or vice versa.

                All this adds up to say tradition of your congregation, change that is needed and the choice of your priest (celebrant) decides how you vest in your church.

 

Danny Ray Meadors

Director, Licensed Lay Ministry Episcopal Diocese of Mississippi

Verger

St. Patrick's Episcopal Church

Long Beach Mississippi

"Service in Worship and Worship through Service"

"One Church in Mission: Inviting, Transforming and Reconciling"

 

From: vl...@googlegroups.com [mailto:vl...@googlegroups.com] On Behalf Of Vyonne Carter-Johnson

Sent: Friday, December 16, 2011 2:55 PM
To: Vergers List
Cc: Vyonne Carter-Johnson; Vyonne Johnson

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